Fun Home is a special show. The 2015 Best Musical Tony winner features a female, lesbian protagonist (the remarkable Kate Shindle playing graphic novalist Alison Bechdel), and an emotionally complex story conveyed through a refreshingly frank lens (book by Lisa Kron) and a sophisticated, counter-intuitive score by Jeanine Tesori (music) and Kron (lyrics). The fact… Read More “Fun Home” at Broadway in Chicago

They just don’t write ’em like that anymore. This phrase could be aptly applied to the classic musical comedy Wonderful Town, now getting a major revival at the Goodman Theater, under the direction of innovative director Mary Zimmerman. Wonderful Town, written by Joseph A. Fields and Jerome Chodorov, with lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green,… Read More ‘Wonderful Town’ at the Goodman

I’d be lying if I said I haven’t been salivating at seeing the new musical War Paint, which is based on the PBS documentary The Powder and the Glory celebrating makeup moguls and life-long rivals Elizabeth Arden and Helena Rubenstein, as soon as the Goodman announced it as part of their trademark eclectic season. Not only did… Read More ‘War Paint’ at the Goodman Theatre

Gilded scenery, an exquisitely sung classic American songbook score, parades of hoop skirts and exotic Eastern textiles, and an unconventional love story. What’s not to adore in Lyric Opera’s The King and I? The draw, for me, was seeing one of the musical theatre stage’s brightest stars, Kate Baldwin, take on the iconic role of Anna Leonowens… Read More ‘The King and I’ at Lyric Opera

I almost skipped Dreamgirls at Porchlight. I’ve seen and enjoyed the movie, I saw a very decent (if emotionally neutral) touring production 6 years ago, I’ve watched Jennifer Holliday’s landmark performance of the titular first act closer in gay bars and YouTubes galore. I mean, I’ve *seen* Dreamgirls. Or so I thought. Following the first act of… Read More ‘Dreamgirls’ at Porchlight Music Theatre

When I visited London around five years ago, I made the grave mistake of choosing Ghost: The Musical over a newer show which I inaccurately assumed as a twee, commercial-friendly children’s spectacle – otherwise known as Matilda, the Musical. Last week, I righted my wrongs by catching the first-rate first National Tour of the show at the… Read More Thoughts on ‘Matilda the Musical’

Abby Mueller stars in “Beautiful – The Carole King Musical” Jukebox musicals. Such a phrase makes those who love musical theatre shudder with a wave of disgust, as it exemplifies the devolution of the art form. Where the best musicals use carefully crafted music to advance the story and heighten the emotional moments, jukebox musicals… Read More ‘Beautiful – The Carole King Musical’ at the Oriental Theatre

Renee Fleming and Thomas Hampson star in Franz Lehar’s “The Merry Widow” Ooh-la-la! As John Oliver mentioned in response to the recent attacks on France’s capital, Paris will endure – largely due to its rich culture and passionate people. And the delightful comic operetta by Hungarian composer Franz Lehár, The Merry Widow, celebrates the very… Read More A Buoyant ‘Merry Widow’ at Lyric Opera of Chicago

Colleen Fee, Brit-Marie Sivertsen and Evan Tyrone Martin in Porchlight’s “Side Show” A lucky handful of commercially-produced shows become flat-out hits that run for decades. Yet more than often, most shows buckle under the pressures of modern commercial theatre and are sadly forgotten. And then there are shows like Side Show — a show that… Read More ‘Side Show’ at Porchlight Music Theatre

Chris Logan and Michelle Lauto as Peter Allen and Liza Minnelli in Pride Films and Plays’ “The Boy From Oz” In an age of reality TV and viral videos, star-making stage turns are few and far between. When Hugh Jackman headlined in the Broadway production of The Boy From Oz in 2003, he made such… Read More ‘The Boy From Oz’ at Stage 773

Editor’s note: I had to bow out of reviewing this production due to a massive sinus infection, but the lovely book nerd Jamie Prahl, who is a huge fan of Jane Austen’s, stepped in to cover. Take it away, Jamie! Everything about Chicago Shakespeare Theater’s new musical version of Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility is… Read More A satisfying ‘Sense and Sensibility’ at Chicago Shakes

They say tragedy is easy, yet comedy is hard. And in watching Porchlight’s delightful production of the hit 1962 musical comedy, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, I took note of how deftly this hard-working cast navigates Burt Shevelove’s farcical book and Stephen Sondheim’s daffy yet deceptively dense music and lyrics.… Read More A funny and fine “Forum” at Porchlight

Faith Prince. Those two words served as the motivation for me to visit this pre-Broadway tryout of The First Wives Club: The Musical. I consider Prince among the very best musical comedy stars — right up there with Carol Channing and Judy Holliday. The Tony-winning actress is the sort of artist who can spin comedic… Read More First Wives Club Musical Feels Like a First Draft

Unlike Guys and Dolls, Fiddler or The Music Man, Carousel isn’t a show that can simply rest on the strengths of its material. While a good number of classic musicals can lean on their score and inner charms to suffice for a pleasurable evening, Rogers and Hammerstein’s 1945 masterpiece requires a director and design team… Read More A Transcendent ‘Carousel’ at Lyric Opera